On Her Beat
by silverarrow65
Summary: "What could I possibly mean to you!" He hissed into darkness. "I'm just a thug; you're just a prep. This isn't supposed to happen!"
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This summer has gotten off...to an incredibly boring start. It's only been 2 weeks since school ended and yet I'm nearly bored to tears. I go out sometimes but...even so...wait, none of you care about my personal troubles. **

**Alright, long story short, I'm bored, I miss my Kiba x Hina coupling, and this is short enough and doesn't require that much effort on my part. Review, yadda yadda, all that good stuff. Some mild language.  
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Kiba yawned, idly scratching at the triangular tattoo on his cheek as he pushed open the door.

Upbeat music flowed through his ears, resounding down the dark thin corridors of the club. He awkwardly passed a drunken couple, fiercely sucking each other's mouths off and pressed hard against the chipped stone wall.

As the already dim lighting seemed to darken to near pitch blackness, he entered a medium sized room where the smell of booze was thick and the downbeat of the music seemed to shake the entire room. Multicolored lights flashed across the heads of the numerous people dancing. Kiba craned his head, ignoring the multiple girls who winked flirtatiously at him and casually caressed his arm as they passed him. When he noticed Naruto, standing on an elevated platform at the back of the room, both hands clumsily messing with the turntables, he pushed his way through the thicket of the crowd.

"Naruto!" Kiba yelled, as he neared the DJ stand. "Naruto!"

Naruto seemed not to hear him, as his eyes were covered by huge shutter shades and his ears were completely consumed by an enormous set of headphones. Naruto bobbed his head up and down, mouthing the words of the hip hop song he was currently playing.

"Naruto!" Kiba nearly screamed. Although he didn't catch Naruto's attention, he did catch the attention of a girl with bleached blonde hair, who purposely bumped into him the next moment.

"Oh, I'm so sorry…" she squeaked in a high pitch, before surveying Kiba up and down and nodding appreciatively. "I'm just _such_ a klutz, you know." She giggled, sticking her polished fingernail into her mouth as she smiled at him. "But enough of that, what's your-"

Without waiting for an answer, and without saying anything himself, Kiba shoved the girl out of his way, into another girl who turned around and loudly berated her for being an idiot.

Kiba jumped onto the platform and snatched the headphones away from Naruto and smacking the shutters clean off his face, before slapping his hands away from the turntables.

"Hey!" Naruto turned to Kiba, his features indignant. "Dude, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Just come on." Kiba muttered. Clutching his friend's wrist, he led him out of the room, as Naruto protested loudly behind him. Kiba hurried across the dance floor, rushing out the back door of the club and tossing the slightly drunk Naruto against the filthy brick wall adjacent to the club.

Naruto laughed in a light stupor, before focusing his eyes on his best friend.

"What's up?"

Kiba sighed, reaching into his back pocket and handing Naruto a cell phone. "Sakura."

The smile flew off Naruto's face, as he paled and his eyes widened. "Shit." He balanced himself against the wall, using his other hand to run through his hair, frustrated. "Shit." He repeated.

"You know, you really should actually call her back sometimes." Kiba advised quietly.

"I know, I know, _Mom._" Naruto snapped. "I've just been busy."

"Oh yeah." Kiba retorted carelessly. "You sure looked busy in there."

Naruto hmphed, pushing Kiba lightly in the shoulder as he flipped the phone open. "Alright, here goes." Naruto breathed deeply, before hesitantly punching in Sakura's number.

He held the phone cautiously, like a bomb, before holding it gently up to his ear. There was no answer for a few moments, as Naruto waited, Kiba jumped and sat on the lid of a nearby dumpster, watching his friend.

Suddenly, Naruto spoke. "Uh, hey, yeah, it's me." Naruto's face was twisted in guilt as he spoke to her. "I was just calling since-"

The next moment, an unintelligible set of shrieks and loud screaming emerged from the other end of the phone. Naruto flinched and held the phone as far as possible from his ear. Even at a distance, Kiba could hear what Sakura was saying.

"-COMPLETE ASS! YOU NEVER CALL BACK, YOU'RE ALWAYS OUT SO DAMN LATE! HOW CAN YOU EXPECT ME NOT TO WORRY?"

Naruto held the phone back to his ear. "Now Sakura, calm down, I'm perfectly fine, nothing has-"

Once again, Sakura cut him off. Naruto rolled his eyes and held the phone away, waiting for the yelling on the other end to stop. His eyes strayed to Kiba's, and he pointed at the phone, mouthing the word 'crazy' as he did so.

Kiba nodded along, playing the façade of agreement, but deep inside, he felt a little…sorry, for Sakura. Kiba himself treated his girlfriends the exact same way, never calling them, never seeing them, and overall forgetting about them. But Sakura…she was a nice girl.

Kiba noticed suddenly that the yelling on the other end of the phone had stopped, and that their conversation was now inaudible aside from what Naruto was saying. Naruto seemed troubled, as he tried to speak.

"Please, just listen-" He pleaded. "No, because I was…no that was a different time because I-" He sighed. "Sakura…please…don't. I-I'm sorry."

Kiba heard the click from the phone as the conversation ended.

Naruto went still, and averted his gaze down as he snapped the phone shut. He turned away from Kiba and stuffed his hands in his pockets, as he started down the alley, away from the club.

"Oi!" Kiba called after him, dislodging himself from the dumpster. "What happened?"

Naruto slowed, before coming to a complete stop. He looked over his shoulder and regarded Kiba with quiet eyes.

"She…broke up with me."

Kiba scratched his head thoughtfully, before running up to catch up to Naruto. "So? She 'breaks up' with you all the time. Go and get her back."

Naruto shook his head, sighing deeply. "I think she was serious this time."

"Oh. I see." Kiba stood awkwardly, unsure of how to comfort his friend, before settling on lightly patting his shoulder. "Well…don't let it get you too down."

"…Yeah." Naruto blew threw his teeth. "It's just part of the life, I guess." With that, he turned the corner of the dark streets and turned towards home.

Kiba's chest hurt a bit as he heard his friend say that. It happened all the time, with them. Get a girlfriend, get dumped. And just go find a new one to fill the void. It made Kiba uneasy to see how easily someone could get replaced.

Love, in their world, was non-existent.

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Hinata wandered through the long, marble hallway, admiring the numerous tall vases and elaborate tapestries stationed along the walls of Sakura's home. Her hands clasped behind her, she stared at the doors she passed, trying to find the one to Sakura's room.

"Her mom said it was in this hallway…" Hinata thought aloud. However, her question was answered the next moment by a shrill wailing clearly emanating from the room the Hinata's left.

In her surprise, she pushed the door open and ran in, before blushing slightly at her rudeness. However, the people inside hardly seemed to care.

Sakura was on the ground, on her knees, still dressed in her pajamas. Surrounding her was a bounty of pillows and blankets, all of which were covered in chocolate wrappers. Sakura briefly looked up at who entered, her eyes red and puffy, before she averted her gaze down again and continued crying. Her hair stuck out in odd directions, which Ino was clearly attempting not to grimace at.

Ino and Tenten were crouched down on the floor with her, patting her back consolingly, both of them still in their school uniforms. Ino glanced up at Hinata.

"Bout time you got here." She sighed.

"Sorry." Hinata murmured. She kneeled down beside the rest of her friends, lightly brushing away the candy wrappers.

Sakura sniffled. "I-I still j-j-just can't b-believe him." She looked up, several fat tears rolling down her raw cheeks. "W-why me?" Her face twisted into agony again and she brought her hands up to cover her mouth as she leaned into Ino.

"It'll be okay." Tenten said simply. "Naruto was a jackass as always, you're better off without him." Her voice came out in a blunt monotone, which caused Hinata to flinch and Sakura's sobbing to become more erratic. Well, Tenten was definitely honest.

"B-But…I loved him." Sakura said, tears still coming down her cheeks. She reached for a pillowcase and absent-mindedly blew her nose into it loudly, before throwing it across the room and weeping harder than ever.

Hinata was uncertain of what to tell Sakura. Naruto was notorious for being a terrible boyfriend, yet Sakura had ignored all of their warnings and insisted that her time with him would be different.

"Sakura…" Hinata spoke very softly, lightly touching her friend's knee. "There will always be other people, neh?"

Sakura looked up and stopped crying briefly, meeting her eyes evenly with a blank stare, before she shook her head and let more tears escape.

"No, there won't be." She sniffed loudly. "There won't ever be anyone."

Hinata said nothing. She didn't want to end up saying something she regretted.

Regardless of her sympathy for Sakura, she couldn't help but feel a tad…jealous? And irritated. Hinata had never anyone who she could run to. Ever. Her whole family was cruel and cold and treated her like a stranger. And her friends…they felt so temporary and shallow. As if they could disappear in a moment.

Sakura would be fine. She always found someone else. But...

Where was Hinata's someone? Where was the person she could yell at and scream at, and yet still always go back to for more? She wanted to know the dedication where you'd stick by someone, no matter what happened. She wanted the strength to hold onto it. And she wanted to live for someone, and for someone to live for her.

But for the time being, that was only the stuff of dreams.

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**A/N: ...No comment. I wrote this...in about half an hour, so...;; Please be nice. No flames.**

**-silver  
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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ahaha, much longer chapter, because I worked hard on it. (Your authoress is lying because she wrote this all today :P) **

**BTW, in order to help you visualize the story a little better, I've picked the uniforms which the characters in this story will be wearing, since they all go to the same school. For all those Fruits Basket/Furuba readers, I've chosen their school outfits to be the outfits in this fanfic. For all non-Furuba readers/watchers, I've put links up on my profile, so check them out before you read so you get a better idea.**

**Special thanks to those who reviewed!**

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Hinata noticed the tall, grey stone high school nearing round the corner, so she quickly gathered her things into her petite arms and flung the door open the minute the extended limo parked at the sidewalk. Snatching her simple bag from the elegant black leather seats, she used her elbow to propel herself out of the limo. Neji raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing as he exited the car.

Hinata got out and whipped around, bowing to her father, who was still waiting inside, eyes invisible to her.

"Have a good day, father." She said timidly, eyes pointing towards the ground in a ninety degree bow.

"…Hn."

The door slammed shut, and Hinata inwardly flinched at the sound, still deep in her bow. She remained still in her position, even as the car disappeared from view. Neji stared at her, before staring and yanking her up by the arm and meeting her pale eyes.

"Don't stand like that; it's embarrassing." With that, he spun on his heel and entered the school.

Hinata's frail eyes followed his footsteps, before they averted to the ground and her eyes rose in sadness, heaving a sigh. She tightened her grasp on her simple black bag, held in front of her knees.

Hinata's eyes fluttered open, as she saw several pairs of legs walking towards her. Slowly moving her eyes up, she saw Naruto and Kiba, laughing loudly and punching each other in the arms, several other guys walking behind them and doing the same.

She froze up.

They were the bad boys of her school. Rambunctious, rude, snappy and with mouths dirtier than a garbage dump. The principal's office might've as well been their second home. When Kiba and Naruto first became friends back when they were first years, Hinata had paid them very little heed. It wasn't until months later they had become infamous for breaking the hearts of numerous girls in their grade, and pretty soon their _exploits_ with girls in other grades made them well known around the entire school.

Then the thought occurred to Hinata, stirring fear in her. What if they were coming for _her_? It was true, they hardly knew her…in fact, considering how invisible Hinata was they probably didn't even know she existed…but that didn't change the fact that they had…_done _things to other girls. And Hinata was shy, quiet as a mouse and the ultra conservative around her friends. The thought of what they could do to her caused a reaction from her, treading the line between a deep blush and nausea.

These thoughts that plagued her left her in a state of near comatose stiffness, eyes glued to the ground and knees ready to collapse in on each other. As she heard the voices coming closer, her eyes darted upward.

The group was much closer, and their voices louder. Backing up, inch by inch, she held her bag up to her chest and hugged it tight, not blinking as her eyes remained glued to the back of Naruto's head, who was closest to her.

He frightened her, to be truthful. Naruto had been involved with god knows what and god knows who for god knows how long, and there was no way innocent Hinata was getting involved with that. Of course, Sakura had been with him...but she was a strong girl. She could take care of herself. Unlike Hinata.

Hinata turned around and stalked away, before clamoring up the stone steps. However, she failed to coordinate herself long enough to prevent herself from slipping just before reaching the top step, throwing her arms in the air and sending her bag and its contents flying, and tumbling down the stairs.

The sudden shock was abrupt enough for Hinata that she didn't even squeal as she fell, and landed unceremoniously in a huge mud puddle at the bottom. It splattered across her entire body.

"Urgh…" Hinata grimaced as she surveyed her dripping arms and ruined skirt. One of her shoes lay several feet away, while the other, still on her foot, was full of mud. Her knee socks were drenched in the water. She blew a stray hair from her face, while she wobbled to her feet.

Before she was able to get up, she noticed Kiba staring at her.

It was the first time she had ever looked at him, properly, at least. She rubbed a dirt particle out of her eyes, looking him up and down, without realizing it seemed she was checking him out.

He was tall, almost as tall as the towering Naruto. He had messy, simple brown hair that fell right in front of his dark eyes, explaining the reason so many girls shrieked whenever he so much as threw a glance their way.

Triangular, red tattoos on his tan cheeks made him stand out from the rest of the crowd, and gave him an air of mystery and foreignness. His jaw line was strong and his nose pointed, with small, sharper-than-average canines visible whenever he smiled.

And to top it all off, he was an athlete with a body just about any girl would die for.

Except Hinata. Her straight out fear of people like him; the dangerous, the bad-boy type, completely overshadowed his good looks and made her wary of him.

His chocolate eyes were slightly blank, staring at her, and Hinata knew any good man would immediately come and help her up. But then again, Kiba was no good man. So it wasn't exactly surprising when a smirk came across his features and he motioned to her with his eyes, getting his other buddies to laugh at her while stalking away from the scene as if nothing happened.

"Hinata! Hinata, are you alright?" Hinata inclined her head to the voice, to see Ino rushing towards her, Sakura and Tenten in tow. "What happened?" Ino demanded, crouching down to help her friend up.

Hinata placed a hand on her temple, calming her swimming vision. "I just fell down the stairs, is all." She looked down at her dirtied uniform, sighing. "The teachers are gonna have a fit about this."

Tenten shook her head. "Not quite. It's still early; the school washing machines should be open."

Sakura handed Hinata her misshapen shoe. "Are you sure it wasn't those boys I saw nearby?" she said crisply, a twinge of acid in her tone. "Pushing you down, I mean. It's totally in Naruto's character to be a complete jackass." She unconsciously clenched her teeth, firmly planting her hands on her hips.

Hinata shook her head. "No, no, I was just being clumsy. Let's go in."

As they entered the school, Hinata thought of Kiba.

And so was Hinata's first impression of Kiba.

_He's a jerk. But a really good-looking jerk. But still a jerk._

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Naruto, Kiba and their group of friends, consisting of Chouji, Lee and Kankuro, were loitering on the rooftops, throwing garbage at unsuspecting passerby below.

Naruto was chuckling. "I can't believe she just fell like that. What a dunce." He brought a straw to his lips and aimed a spitball directly at one of their professors below. It hit right on target, gaining a confused and cranky look from the old teacher below them, who scoffed and rubbed his head in annoyance.

Chouji nodded along, stuffing a small sandwich into his mouth. "Hinata really does seem like the airhead type, though. I mean, she's always blushing and stuttering and mumbling; you'd think by hanging around Sakura's minions she would've gotten some confidence." He said with his mouth full.

The other ones chuckled along, but Kiba merely leaned against the roof lining, staying silent and observing his feet. As soon as he saw her fall, he immediately felt guilty. Here he was, trying to be a better person, and yet he couldn't bother to help the fallen girl up. And now he and his friends were laughing at the supposed stupidity of some girl he had never bothered to talk to.

A part of him, a tiny part that still held his fragment of conscience, told him to get his friends to shut up and apologize to her later, but as Kiba himself was arrogant the way he was and was deeply affected by what his friends thought of him, he ended up saying nothing.

As he thought back to the incident, he, only being a guy, considered her overall hotness level.

Dark hair, sleek bangs hanging neatly right above clear, pearl eyes. Pale, ghostly skin, and elegant limbs, although not coordinated in the _least. _She was thin enough, not bony like Sakura but not muscular enough as Temari, per se.

Kiba shrugged. She was nothing special.

And so, Kiba's first impression of Hinata, was something like,

_A clumsy, foolish, average-looking girl. _

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Hinata wrapped herself in the uncomfortable school robe, impatiently watching the washing machine toss her uniform around.

Her friends lounged around, sitting on top of the empty washing machines and idly chatting with each other.

Even though the incident was long over, Hinata couldn't help feel but a little…hurt, that none of the guys had come to help her. Not that she was expecting it, but by the same token, it only added to her fears that no man could ever take her seriously, much less love or care for her.

When it came to Ino, or Sakura, in fact the majority of girls at her school, boys would jump at the opportunity to be near them. But when Hinata needed help, the only reaction was laughter and humiliation for her.

She sighed dejectedly. Maybe she was forever doomed to a hapless love life.

The machine slowly whirred to a stop. Hinata stood and brought her clothes out, before realizing she had nowhere to change. The change rooms were on the other side of the school, and Hinata certainly didn't want to walk there clad in nothing but a skimpy bathrobe. Think of how they would talk!

Her friends looked at her skeptically, sensing her trepidation, before laughing all in turn and closing the blinds of the room.

"Hinata, we're all girls here. There's nothing you've got we haven't seen." Tenten said lazily, picking at her nails.

Hinata flushed and gasped at Tenten's abrupt exclamation, before gulping and nodding.

"I…I suppose."

With some hesitation, she slipped the robe off, although her friends paid her no mind or heed as she quickly dressed and discarded the robe into a stray basket.

"Off to class, I guess." Hinata breathed through her teeth.

"WAIT!" Ino screamed, falling backwards and landing ungracefully in a laundry hamper. Her painted fingernail was pointing towards the door, her entire arm shaking and cerulean eyes wide in alarm.

"What?" Tenten and Sakura both asked.

"Th-There's someone watching! I think they might have been watching Hinata!" She stuttered out.

Sakura whipped her head around, to see that the door had not been fully closed and to see a pair of familiar blue eyes peeking through the crack in the door.

Hinata, and just about everyone else who had been there, couldn't agree more that they had never seen Sakura more furious.

With a speed unmatched by any runner in their school, Sakura stomped over to the door and flung it open, causing the doorknob to smack Naruto straight in the nose.

Grunting and falling backwards through the hallway while clutching his nose, he collided against the window adjacent to the laundry room. His blue eyes met Sakura's, and unwittingly felt his legs begin to shake.

Running wasn't an option. If he did, Sakura would probably pummel him harder or get the principal to catch him…and then pummel him harder.

Her friends behind her could practically see the steam rising out of her ears. Hinata's blush had reached its breaking point, and with an embarrassment unlike no other and feeling just about ready to cry at her horrible morning, she sunk against the wall and ducked her head into the safety of her knees.

"What…do…you think…you're doing…_Naruto?_" Her voice came out in a barely controlled whisper.

Naruto gulped, bringing his hands up in the facade of innocence while trying to calm her down. "I-It's really not what it looks like, Sakura…"

"Oh really now, then tell me, what was _it_?" She placed her hands on her hips and daringly took a few steps closer to him, completely cornering him against the wall.

"I, um…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head, guilty. "…Sorry?"

Sakura had a lot more strength than she let on. Like, a _lot _more. Most of her friends didn't know about this. They assumed her power over men mainly came from her frightening ability to nag non-stop, her boiling temper and a voice that could become so shrill it could crack glass.

With that being said, the last thing they expected Sakura to do was smack him right good across the face.

The slap echoed across the halls, and everyone in it stopped all conversation to stare at the battle of the exes.

Naruto moaned and touched his stinging cheek, while Sakura stood solemnly above him, unmoving and with darkened eyes, muttering,

"…You sicken me."

She turned and stalked away. Tenten immediately followed after her, calling her name down the empty halls and grasping her wrist, trying to get her to see reason. Ino pulled the terrified Hinata to her feet, and pulled her after Tenten.

As Hinata left the laundry room, she found herself unable to look at Naruto. To think…that was Sakura's _boyfriend. _She would probably never be able to look at him full in the eyes again.

Sakura was only a few steps away from Naruto, until her regained his balance and looked up at her retreating figure, with now infuriated eyes.

"Bitch." He murmured.

In a flash of speed, Sakura swung her leg up and kicked him right in the family jewels.

Tenten winced. Ino wrinkled her nose in obvious disgust, scoffing at the sight. Somewhere down the hall, where Naruto's friends were undoubtedly waiting for him, Chouji's voice could be heard. "Ooh, he is gonna feel that tomorrow, man!"

An inhumane sound came from Naruto's mouth as he fell to his knees, tearing up at her pointed toe boot coming in contact with his most sacred of bodily places. Falling to all fours, he struggled to keep from screaming out in pain.

The next moment, Kiba emerged from behind the corner, his face indignant and fists clenched tightly. He walked up to Sakura purposefully, who was watching Naruto with what appeared to be obvious satisfaction.

He brought up his large hand up to Sakura's shoulder and swung her around, hard.

"Hey, watch it." Ino warned him, glaring into his brown orbs, which were now focused angrily on Sakura's eyes.

"That was way outta line. You could've actually hurt him." Kiba said stonily, glaring at her.

"Like the way he hurt me?" She retorted bitterly. Sakura placed her hands on her hips, leaning towards him and daring him to challenge her logic. "Besides, you don't think watching a girl _dress_ is outta line? Oh, I'm sorry, last time I checked, that was pretty bad too." Sarcasm laced her tone as she touched her lip mockingly.

Kiba's face twisted in even more fury. "While that may be, there are better ways to deal with stuff like that."

"Oh, and you would know this?" she laughed, pointing at him and lightly shoving him in the chest. "Please. You do god knows what to other people, way worse than what I just did to that loser back there." She jutted her thumb behind her shoulder.

Naruto looked up at her, wheezing out, "Fat whore."

"Shut up." She snapped back, turning back to Kiba. "Face it, Inuzuka. You _hurt _people. You and every single one of your minions back there." She acknowledged the corner by which the other boys were hiding with a jut of her chin. "You're in no place to be criticizing me." She smirked at him, the condescending look in her eyes unmistakable.

Kiba wasn't easily angered, but when it came to people he cared about, and the snobby attitudes of the 'upper class', it irritated him to no end.

"You listen here." He grabbed Sakura by the collar and shook her forcefully, her head lolling around. She gasped in shock, placing her delicate hands on his larger one and trying to dislodge his fingers by digging her long sharp nails into the skin of his hand. "I'm not rich like you; and I'm not the smartest guy-"

"_There's_ the understatement of the century." Ino mumbled to Tenten with her arms crossed, smirking slightly. Kiba ignored her.

"But I know enough to realize you're looking down on me." He finished, thrusting her hard one more time. "And I don't appreciate it." He spat at her.

The cockiness returned to Sakura's soft features, although the malicious smirk plastered across hardly suited her typically cheery face. "Really, what gave it away?" She sneered.

He shook his head, looking at her in disgust, before throwing her to floor, causing her to land right on Naruto's stomach. Naruto heaved in pain, while Sakura looked at Kiba indignantly. "How dare you!"

He surveyed her with anger in his eyes, before turning on his heel and stalking away, feeling more perturbed than he had in a long time. He usually didn't let things like this get to him; no less silly, deluded girls.

"Let's go." He muttered darkly to the rest of his friends standing behind the corner. They stared at him; all with a mixture of fear, admiration and straight-out confusion in their eyes.

They all shrugged and followed after him.

By this point, Kiba completely forgot about apologizing to Hinata, and probably thought by now it wasn't even necessary, considering the way Sakura acted. Any close friend of Sakura must act the same, right?

Naruto, meanwhile, back in the hallway, pushed Sakura off him, earning himself a dark glare from his ex-girlfriend.

Without a word exchanged, they both stood and stared at each other grimly. Naruto huffed and walked away.

Sakura sighed, immediately losing her former fire and allowing her shoulders to droop. Her friends surrounded her.

"That was brave of you, Sakura. You really showed them." Ino voiced, Tenten nodding along.

Sakura shook her head, holding up her hand to stop them. "No, it wasn't. I was just trying to show them something."

A twinge of annoyance hit Hinata. Sakura had been brave, but here she was acting all noble. Of course, Hinata had been grateful for her help, but it almost felt like she went too far with the way she looked down at Kiba; and not just by implying it, but by outwardly admitting it.

It made her feel guilty. And not only that, but conceited, vain and a bunch of other things she had never considered herself. What if she acted that way, and didn't know it?

But perhaps was the way rich girls high on the social ladder were meant to act.

Even so, Hinata couldn't stop the sinking feeling in her gut. Not only from the fact Naruto had spied in on her and watched her at her most vulnerable, but also the way Kiba had regarded them with such disgust in his eyes.

Hinata's naïve mind immediately started whirring. In her normal world, she thought people like her should regard him with disgust and that he should look up to her for charity and treat her like a god. Such was the teachings of her father's closed mind and her secluded household.

Her thought process was changing. She hardly knew Kiba…how did he have this effect on her?

Hinata decided right then and there she wanted to understand Kiba better…and perhaps teach her friends some things along the way, even if she knew so little herself. Even so, she drew Sakura into a hug and genuinely thanked her for her deed, even if its manner of execution was a little extreme. Before she knew it, all her friends and her were in the group hug, before the bell rang loudly and all the girls jumped, before scurrying off to their next classes.

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**A/N: Erm...not sure what to say, except I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. :3 I hope you enjoyed it! :D**

**Reviews please, no flames.**

**-silver  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well, I couldn't last more than a week to update. This is how much your authoress loves you guys. xD **

**Wow, so much more of a reaction that I anticipated! I didn't expect alerts or favorites at ALL! Or even reviews! O_O You people are awesome and deserve hugs! (although I'm pretty sure if I tried to hug you you'd all think I was weird and stop reviewing)**

**Err...as a forewarning, this chapter is very controversial. I'm hesitant to publish it. But I want to anyway. I may revise it, so who knows.  
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**Yeeeah...I'm done. O_O  
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Hinata was idly hanging around the park, smiling slightly at the small children who jumped across the playground equipment. Suddenly, her ringtone filtered through the air.

She slipped it open and spoke into it softly. "Hello?"

"Hinata? It's me, Sakura."

"Oh, hi. What's up?" she fished through her bag, searching for chapstick.

"Ino finally got her allowance! Big-time cash, I'm talking here." She squealed. "We're gonna head to New York; wanna come with?"

Hinata choked. "N-New York? But it's not vacation, and school, and the plane ride, and-" she stammered.

Sakura's trilling laugh could be heard on the other end. "Just kidding. We were just gonna head downtown; whaddya say?"

Hinata paused, and reached for a pen as she scribbled, testing, on her palm. "When?"

It was as if she could hear Sakura smiling on the other end.

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Her feet hurt. Her head hurt. Her stomach hurt. She was thirsty. She was sweaty.

And people called shopping _enjoyable_.

Ino and Sakura giggled upfront, arms full with multi-colored shopping bags. Sunglasses propped over their eyes and hair perfectly windswept, they calmly sipped on their iced cappuccinos, and clocked down the sidewalk in their teetering high heels.

Hinata followed behind quietly, one small shopping bag at her side. She had ended up buying a pair of shoes she didn't even like, and only at her friends' insistence. Tenten had skipped out, to Hinata's disappointment. At least Tenten wasn't sickeningly girly, so at least she could talk to someone.

She found herself falling further and further behind, eyes glued to her feet as she was pushed around by the rambunctious people rushing down the sidewalk.

She fingered her pocket, where a rectangular lump lay. She could call for the car, and go home.

But maybe…she should try and enjoy herself. She hardly went out. And if her friends were happy, then she should be too, right?

"…Sakura?" she mumbled quietly, meaning to ask her friend a question. "Sakura?"

No answer. She looked up, and felt her blood turn to ice.

"They're…gone." Hinata breathed fearfully. She was alone, in downtown metropolis, completely alone. Her sense of direction was terrible; no way she could find them.

She looked up and down the sidewalk. Just the endless city crowd.

Her hand flew to her side, to her cell phone. She slipped out the phone, frantically dialing home, until-

...Why? She wasn't a little girl anymore. She shouldn't have to call home just because she lost sight of her friends for a few moments. Steeling herself, she pocketed her phone again and took a deep breath.

She flew down the sidewalk, unconsciously pushing people out of the way as she looked behind corners and peer through glass doors, looking for any pink or blonde.

* * *

Ten minutes of wildly running around, and she was no different, aside from being out of breath.

Dragging her legs to a park bench, she brushed away some aggressive pigeons and kicked off her now ratty flip flops, sighing as she bent her head back in relaxation. Checking her phone, she threw it casually into the shopping bag, and finally decided on emptying her pockets, all into her shopping bag.

She was just about to doze off, before a grimy hand brushed her wrist.

* * *

Her eyes snapped open, as she rubbed the sleep out of her drowsy orbs. Looking both ways, she didn't seem to notice anything, until she realized her bag was gone.

Her bag, containing 300 dollar shoes that she had just bought. 300 dollars, which her cousin handed to her earlier that morning in complete confidence. A cell phone, her wallet. Everything.

…Craaaaaap.

She frantically slipped on her sandals and randomly chose a direction to run in, silently knowing she'd probably never see those shoes, or their thief, again.

* * *

An hour of wandering around streets, that seemed to darken all too quickly. By the time the streetlights flickered on, Hinata was shivering as the insects buzzed around her head.

Never before had she, the sheltered princess, felt so afraid or completely helpless. She couldn't summon the courage to ask for help from all the gritty passerby on these streets.

Where had she even ended up? Ino and Sakura had taken her to a part of town where the streets seemed to sparkle, where people smiled, and where everything was clean. She was now left wandering around a place that smelled terribly of alcohol and vomit, where banging and yelling was commonplace.

She squeezed her eyes shut. No, today, she was not a princess. Today, she was just a normal girl who could take care of herself. She ought to go to a police station, anything.

If she could just _find _it.

Suddenly, she found herself in a dead end. The night sky was devoid of stars, only the haze of the dirty city visible above her head. Currently, Hinata was covered in sweat and dirt, and found her feet aching beyond belief.

She stared at the brick wall, finally grunting and stomping her foot in frustration. She should go around and check another cul-de-sac, until something caught her eye.

A street alley.

She peered down it warily. It wasn't terribly long. Filthy, and extremely dark, but she could see the lights on the other side. Taking it would save her a good 15 minutes. But was the risk worth it?

Whether it was fatigue or straight out mania, she walked down it.

* * *

She tiptoed down the area, stepping over ripped garbage bags and nearly screaming as an ash-black cat hissed at her from its nest in the filth.

She breathed through her teeth as she leaned against the wall, only to jump at the green mold now scraped over her pale fingers. She frantically wiped it off against her shirt, breathing solemnly.

"It's okay, it's okay." She calmed herself. "An alleyway, that's it."

Suddenly, there was a crash behind her. She shrieked, her voice echoing across the streets, jumping around a full 180 degrees.

There was nothing, save for a dented soda can rolling around the wet ground.

Clutching a fist to her rapidly beating heart, she started down the alley again, but faster, tripping over her flip flops as her toes brushed against the moldy garbage.

Now, there was a second crash, but Hinata did not turn around, instead speeding up once again.

Footsteps.

Coming closer. Drunk, and uneven, but footsteps even so.

A tear squeezed out of the corner of her eye. No, not now. This wasn't supposed to happen, this was just a bad dream. Just a bad dream.

Wait!

Were those…_two _sets of footsteps?

Walking turned to jogging. Jogging turned to running. And before she knew it, Hinata was in a flat out sprint, running for her life.

She panted heavily, not daring to look behind her. Crooked as the footsteps were, they were coming steadily after her, and were now faster. Much faster than she could go.

She emerged onto the empty cul-de-sac, but did not stop her frantic run. She kept her pace across the cracked asphalt, tripping on a crack.

"Oof!" she spat the gravel out of her mouth, hearing the footsteps running closer. "Ah!" she kicked off her now broken shoes, deciding barefoot was the way to go for now.

A streetlamp above her exploded.

Her mouth dropped open to let out an ear-splitting scream as she gave up, the pain in her chest overwhelming her as she fell into a squat, covering her head with shaking fingers. She dejectedly felt the despair well up in her chest, as the eerie followers approached closer, now slowing.

She felt the heavy panting of two men above her, and saw their feet come into her view.

"Thin as a bone, she is. Wonder how she ran that fast." One voice growled out. A slimy hand shot out, cold and slithery as a fish, as it wrapped around her upper arm.

Hinata tried to pull away, feeling bile fill her mouth as she bit her tongue. No, no, no.

She looked away, grunting as she struggled. The hand tightened, nails digging into her pure flesh as her chin was grasped by his other hand, gently, as if caressing her. She curled her upper lip in disgust as she surveyed the man in front of her.

* * *

He had blue skin. Beady eyes that didn't seem to blink and slashes across his face that resembled gills. Spiky blue hair and a smile so pointy Hinata resisted the urge to vomit. The man…was a fish. A fish.

"My dear, why were you running away?" he crooned, sweeping his pointy finger across her cheek. Hinata stiffened, jerking her head away from him. "Ooh, feisty." He purred at her. "I like 'em feisty."

"Kisame, control yourself, please." A slithery voice hissed. "You're drunk."

"Shut up, Orochimaru!" Kisame snapped. "You just want her for yourself."

Someone grasped Hinata by the hair from behind and turned her to face him. She came face to face with a snake. "You know me too well." He sneered.

Animals. Literally, animals.

Hinata sucked in a breath, ready to scream for help, before Kisame's hand clamped over her mouth. "Oh no, I'm afraid you're not calling for anyone today, sweetheart."

Hinata pushed away, feeling her breathing increase pace as the desolation of her situation settled in. They were going to…they were going to…

Kisame's hand slid from her arm around her waist, pulling her close to him as he slammed her against a wall. The force of it all caused Hinata's head to smash against the brick, and she felt her vision go dizzy.

"So pretty…" he murmured, sliding his hand up her side, dangerously close to-

* * *

Hinata's eyes shot open in shock as tears spilled out freely. _Stop touching me! _She wanted to scream. _Not there! Not there!_

He smirked as he squeezed her breast. "You're different than the other ones. A lot younger, I can tell."

Orochimaru, out of the corner of her eye, started to leave. "I see you have this under control." He droned, bored.

Hinata refused to give in to her utter hopelessness. Going for her last tactic, she swiped her leg between his legs and kicked his knees out from underneath him, pushing away from him and running faster than she ever had away from him.

"Where do you think you're going?" he roared after her, grabbing her from behind and tripping her. He jammed her face into the dirt, smothering her face. "You need to be punished, you." He mumbled to himself, as his other hand started to prick underneath her shirt.

Hinata let her eyes flutter shut. There was nothing she could do.

Suddenly, Kisame's weight was lifted off of her. However, her exhaustion was far too much to bear for her to lift her head to see what godly force had helped her.

Turning her head ever so slightly, she peered through a crack in her eyes, grime over her usually pristine lashes.

There was…a man, she recognized, pinning Kisame against the wall. Kisame's face was bloody, as a tan fist was raised threateningly above his eye. The figure muttered something Hinata couldn't hear, to which Kisame smirked and said something else. The fist flew towards his face, landing a clean hit right over Kisame's eye, and struck a second time, this time to his temple, knocking him out cleanly.

Hinata coughed and tried to raise herself to all fours, before feeling herself collapse a second time into the dirt. The figure released Kisame's now limp body and stalked over to Hinata, seemingly pausing over her, before leaning down and picking her up easily.

Hinata's breathing picked up again. Wait, could this be Orochimaru?

"No!" she used her remaining strength to scream, slapping the person across the cheek. "Leave me alone!" she squeezed her eyes shut.

The person hesitated, before warm fingers came up and unlatched her fingers from their fist and rested on her shoulders, shaking her slightly.

"Hinata, it's me."

She gasped, and opened her eyes. K-Kiba?

* * *

He looked grim and tired, with a bruise on his cheek from where Kisame must have hit him. His leather jacket was covered in soot, she also noticed.

Tears overflowed again. But not of despair. Of joy.

"Oh god!" She leaned forward and embraced Kiba, sobbing into his shoulder as she held him tight. He seemed surprised and did not return the hug, but seemed to understand nonetheless. "Thank god, thank god. Thank you so much."

"Alright, alright." He grunted, stretching his back as he stood. "Can you walk?" he asked her.

She sniffled and wiped at her eyes, before nodding.

Kiba pocketed his hands and jerked his head towards a direction, indicating she follow him.

Obviously, her pace was too slow for him, and he rolled his eyes, grabbing her by the wrist and dragging her after him. She was still in a daze, still shaken but evermore grateful Kiba found her.

Questions plagued her mind. Why was he here? How had he found her?

But these questions, for the time being, were to remain unanswered. She was far too tired to care.

Kiba ended up leading her to a beaten up truck, heaving the creaking black door open and nodding for her to get in.

She cocked her head in confusion. He sighed, exasperated, and helped push her in, slamming the door after her, to which she flinched.

He entered through the other side, face serious as he cursed at the rusty engine, before backing out quickly and starting off at a breakneck speed down the empty highway.

Hinata wrapped her arms around her knees, as she hadn't bothered to put on her seatbelt, as it seemed Kiba didn't care either. She could still feel Kisame's hands on her…

Kiba seemed to notice her shock. "Don't think about it."

"W-what?"

"I said, don't think about it." Kiba said, louder this time. "Kisame won't be causing trouble for you anymore, trust me." His jawline stiffened in anger. "Try to forget about it, okay?"

Hinata nodded slowly, attempting to push him out of her mind. Even so…the hands…and the…_touching…_

But she could only be grateful it had been stopped in time.

And at least she still had her virginity.

After what seemed an eternity, Hinata realized Kiba was not taking her home. In fact, he didn't even know where she lived.

The urge to speak finally emerged. "Uh…K-Kiba-kun?"

"Just Kiba." He said coldly.

Hinata inwardly flinched as she looked sadly away. "Kiba…then. Um…where are y-you t-t-taking me?"

Kiba scoffed at her, looking at her with annoyance. "Could you not stammer? It's unbearable."

He still couldn't stand her. Not after what happened with Sakura. He hated her kind, but felt himself sort of guilty for snapping at her.

Hinata stared at him, wide eyed, before looking to her lap and mumbling an apology.

Kiba took a deep breath. "I'm taking you to my house."

Her head shot up. His house? But-But, her home, and he was going to-and-

"But why!" she interjected loudly, her sudden outburst causing her to blush. Kiba also stared at her. "Why not my home?"

Kiba surveyed her up and down, and her blush deepened, before she realized he wasn't doing as she thought he was. "Do you really want your family to see you like that?"

She looked down. Her shirt was torn and covered in grime; so much so the print on it was completely covered. Her pants were soaked in garbage water, and her shoes gone. Her hair was a mess, and- well, she looked terrible.

She stared at him meekly. "No."

Kiba sighed, releasing one of his tense hands from the wheel and allowing the other to drive casually. "My mom and sister are home, so don't worry."

Hinata inwardly slapped herself for her foolishness. Of course she was safe with him; what was she thinking?

He was Kiba, and today, he was her friend, and savior.

* * *

The rest of the ride passed in silence. Finally, Kiba pulled up to a small house, the yellow painting on its exterior extremely faded. The garden was somewhat untrimmed, with missing patches of grass and many holes. The flowerbeds were unkempt, and another similarly beaten up truck lay in the driveway. Mismatched garden gnomes and a pink flamingo were randomly stuck into the dirt.

Barking could be heard from the house, as cozy lights emanated from the simple windows. Hinata found herself staring. It looked the complete opposite of her home.

And yet, through the chipped paint, strange garden décor and disastrous lawn she...found a certain allure to it.

It was the difference of the home that made her want to…want to…what?

"We're here." Kiba said flatly, yanking his keys out of the car and jumping out.

Hinata watched him walk across the lawn calmly before copying his example, fumbling with the door latch and stumbling out of the car.

She walked over the faded cement, still wiping at her eyes, which couldn't seem to stop tearing up.

She was greeted with the scent of food. Following her nose, she tripped across the holes on the lawn, which Kiba expertly leaped over, until she got to the door.

Kiba was facing the door seriously, deep in thought, until, in a swerve of movement, he had her pinned against the wall adjacent the door, with each of his hands on either side of her head.

Hinata silently gasped, as she caught his steely gaze.

"I want you to stay quiet, okay? My mom's a really…" his face twisted confusion. "…temperamental, woman, I guess. You'll sleep with my sis, k? She'll take care of you till tomorrow."

Hinata gulped, then nodded.

He flashed her a rare smile. "Good then."

He pushed open the door with ease. Light flooded onto Hinata's face, and only until she stepped inside did she realize how cold and hungry she felt. A flat couch lay in the middle of the room, a cute home-made quilt draped over its back. Mounds of dog food lay stacked behind it, while a large, black dog and smaller white one yipped at each other playfully behind the stacks. A small TV lay in front of the couch, and just beyond the living room was a dining room where mountains of food lay, the scent scrumptious to Hinata's nose.

Steam was rising out of the kitchen. A radio could be heard playing. Hinata's mouth was open in awe, until she turned to Kiba.

He seemed to be almost embarrassed. "It's not much…but it's home."

Hinata turned around, and looked at the modest living Kiba had.

She smiled a miniscule smile at him. "I love it." She said softly.

A smile tugged at his lips, until he wiped it away and shrugged.

Walking over to the staircase on the side, he tapped on the wall several times, hissing up the brightly lit stairs.

"Hana. Hana!"

A feminine face emerged, body following. A woman, older than Kiba, stood at the top, looking at him, irritated. Similar tattoos were on her face. Her long, chestnut hair was smoothed back into a sleek ponytail. Her eyes were large and brown, and her lips were a shocking shade of red.

"What, Kiba?" She snapped, until she saw Hinata standing behind him. Suddenly, her mouth twisted into a mischievous grin. "What have we here, Kiba?"

"Shut up!" he growled at her, pulling Hinata out from behind him. "I need you to take care of her for tonight, just tonight."

Hana crossed her arms, looking down at him smugly. "Mo-om!" she trilled.

Kiba cursed at her and his grip on Hinata's arm tightened as another woman seemed to appear out of nowhere at Kiba's side.

Wild, frenzied hair and dark eyes, with the same tattoos. Her mouth had slightly larger fangs than Kiba, and she stared at Hinata blankly.

"Kiba, who is this?"

Kiba swallowed. "A classmate. I helped her, from Kisame. Her family can't see her like this so I said she could stay here for tonight."

His mom's eyes hardened, glancing over at Hinata. They surveyed her destroyed clothes and slightly dazed face, until she smiled at her.

"Kisame's an ass." She said to Hinata sweetly. "You'll be fine here. We'll take care of you."

Hinata blinked. Didn't Kiba say she was 'temperamental'? She glanced over at him, to see him discreetly wiping sweat from his brow.

"Oh, excuse my manners, please, sit down and eat something!" She pushed Hinata into the dining room. "Help yourself to whatever!" she called after, until she pushed Kiba into the living room to whisper at him.

"What happened?" she asked.

Kiba looked at the ground, before meeting her eyes, a spark of anger in his own. "I think you know."

Tsume made a sound of disgust. "I trust you took care of him?" she said expectantly.

Kiba nodded.

"You didn't…you know…"

"No, I didn't kill him."

Tsume nodded in understanding. "Then go sit and talk with her." She jerked her head to the dining room. "We have company over."

Kiba rolled his eyes and went in, as Hana joined Tsume. The two women watched the teenagers eat quietly, stealing glances at each other.

Hana smiled. "They'd be good for each other, no? They look good together."

Tsume scoffed and lightly slapped her daughter's shoulder. "He's a kid, don't say such nonsense."

Hana laughed. "Sure, mom. Sure."

* * *

**A/N: I feel...awful. Awfully nervous. I'm scared to see what you have to say, and I'll understand if you all hate it and abandon me. If you do feel the need to leave a scathing review, please be gentle. I am fragile ;;**

**Yay, there was mild, 2 second fluff. This chap was pree long, don't you think? (Your authoress is just trying to point out all the good things about this chapter so you'll be nice in your review)  
**

**I hate Kisame. I hate him with a passion. I would love it if Kishi would just get rid of the fish. =_=**

**Cookies to those who review...although I bet you all hate it. D:**

**-silver  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: What a depressed fool I've become. Ahh, wait, none of you care to hear me rant about my damned teenage life.**

**Either way, I truly have no excuse for not finishing this. It's not long...my apologies, readers. ^^'**

**I hope this makes up for it, cuz you're gonna see some SMEXY-**

**Disclaimer: Oh, the things I would do if the precious Naruto cast were mine...**

**Note: _Italics _are what actually happened, because I'm just nice like that and tell you guys stuff :3  
**

* * *

Hinata was soft-spoken, gentle, shy. Kiba's dogs were not.

And the chaos began.

* * *

"Eek!" she screamed, tripping over her ankles as a huge greyhound trailed after her, eyes wide in innocence and tongue flailing about lazily from the corner of its mouth. Hinata flew to Hana's room, screaming a second time and shutting the door behind her. Soft whimpers and pawing could be heard from the other side, before a comforting voice soothed them. The next minute, Hana walked in, smiling at Hinata softly.

"Guess you're not really a dog type, neh?" She joked, before walking over to her soft bed and smoothing the sheets.

Hinata meekly nodded, kneading her fingers, before seating herself softly on the pile of sheets on the floor where she was to sleep. She decided it would've been better to just lie and tell her father that she had been out at a friend's house, rather than be dropped off by Kiba at 2 in the morning.

Hinata had calmed herself, before suddenly a tiny Chihuahua jumped out from beneath Hana's bed, snarling at Hinata violently. Hinata released a small shriek, while Hana looked nonchalantly over the edge.

"Oh." She laughed sheepishly. "Missed one." Picking it up with expert fingers, she tossed it lightly out the door. "Sorry bout that." Hinata ducked her head down and mumbled that it was alright.

Hana jumped backwards onto her bed and lay eagle-spread upon the bouncing mattress, staring up at the ceiling.

"So..." she began.

Hinata ran a hand up her goosebump covered arm. "So...?" she continued.

Hana sighed, running a hand through her mane of brown tresses. "What's up with you and Kiba?"

Hinata blinked at the question, before rearranging herself into a cross-legged position. "Nothing. He just...helped me, when I got lost."

Hana sat up and scratched her tattoo-covered cheek. "Where'd you end up?"

The Hyuuga girl merely swallowed with difficulty, finding an sudden interest in an uncommon tangle in her own hair. "I uh...just some...place."

Kiba's older sister chuckled. "How very specific. Either way, you shouldn't stay round those parts." Hinata perked up.

"Why..?" she inquired with curiousity.

Hana shook her head at Hinata's naivete. "You don't understand, Hinata. We're taking you in now, yes, but it doesn't make us good people. It doesn't necessarily make Kiba a good person." Hana paused as Hinata absorbed this, averting her gaze towards a photo on her nightstand, where she and her younger smiled at the camera from a few years back. "He hangs around the wrong places. The wrong people. And I do too. The fact he found you there, of all people, of all places, is just...well, it's just really weird, y'know?"

Hinata shook her head lightly. "But you've been so kind to me, it doesn't make sense. And if you know it's wrong, why do you still go?"

Hana's face turned grim, a misery filled smile gluing itself to her features. "Let's just say it kind of becomes an addiction." The Inuzuka girl looked down to hide the pain that erupted behind her eyes. When it calmed, she stared back towards Hinata, who, with her wide eyes and slightly ajar mouth, was everything she herself wasn't.

"You know, it's not the first time Kiba's saved someone." Hana said quietly.

Hinata suddenly froze. An indescribable emotion burst throughout her veins. "W-what?" she whispered disbelievingly.

"HANA, FOR KAMI'S SAKES, DON'T LEAVE THE TOOTHPASTE UNCAPPED!" Kiba's yelling interrupted their conversation.

"SHUT THE HELL UP, YA LITTLE PR-!" she responded shrilly, stopping herself before uttering anything obscene and too foul for Hinata's virgin ears, and then calming herself. "I love my little brother." She explained somewhat guiltily to a wide-eyed Hinata.

Hinata nodded stiffly, before settling herself on the sheets. Hana lay down on her bed, unfurling the blankets over her.

"We should really turn in, yeah?" Hana rolled over in her comfortable sweats and shut the light off, muttering a soft goodnight to Hinata.

Hinata rolled over in the dark, clutching the sheets close to her. "Good night." She breathed, inaudibly, back. As the night closed in around her, she was whisked back to that cramped void of despair Kisame had sent her to. She was careful to make sure no one picked up on the few tears spilling out her eyes.

* * *

Grey morning light came in even slants through the shades. These were barely visible from underneath Hinata's half lidded, thickly lashed eyes.

She was freezing.

Hinata didn't understand why. Hinata had deliberately asked Hana to close the window, and the older girl had kindly obliged. She had practically a den of blankets around her. It simply made no logical sense.

Something was tickling her feet. She was on something soft, unlike what she had slept on last night.

After pondering this for a few moments, Hinata decided pretending to be asleep was worth nothing, and allowed her pearl eyes to reveal themselves from beneath thick lashes.

Oh, the horror.

Kiba, in all of his masculine morning glory, lay on the floor, wrapped like a child in a thick blanket. His face was strangely innocent and soft as he slept, although Hinata hardly had time to consider this, as the only thought coursing through her half-coherent mind was,

_He's not wearing a shirt.  
_

Only partially drooling, mind you, Hinata managed to tear her gaze away from his sleeping form realize the soft thing tickling her feet was a snoozing dog, one she recognized, named Akamaru, or something?

She quickly diverted her gaze back to Kiba, and thought about the night before, but not before taking a good survey of his ripped chest. And with a stroke of daring, farther down to his abs.

A fierce blush overtook her, and she barely managed to conceal her giggle, before slowly coming to the conclusion she was in _his _bed, wearing Hana's oversized t-shirt and yoga shorts.

Kiba lay on his back, surprisingly not drooling as Hinata had imagined all men would, tiny smile pecked onto his lips with the sheets twirled around his waist. Hinata curled her cold legs up to her and wrapped her arms around legs, before thinking she could still escape before any…awkwardness ensued.

But of course, it seemed the forces above never seemed to favor Hinata in her times of need, and once again, they didn't disappoint her by gifting her with a sudden bout of clumsiness.

She tripped, face-first, right onto the carpet, over Kiba's sleeping form. Akamaru, with his ever-alert ears, heard her, and burst into a song of barks.

The wildly awake look Kiba sent towards Hinata was only mildly received, as she was already halfway out the door, covering her red nose and flushing with embarrassment.

* * *

Kiba blinked, before sending Akamaru a blank stare. The furry dog seemed to merely shrug at him, before tucking its head into the dent where Hinata just lay, snuggling into her trailed scent. He shook his head at Akamaru's abrupt taking to her.

Kiba stood up, only barely contemplating why he was on the floor and just twitching slightly at the thought as to why Hinata was in his room. The sheets fell around his feet and he quickly slipped on some loose shirt and sweats, before hurrying down the stairs to find Hinata.

"BRUSH YOUR TEETH, ASS! WE HAVE GODDAMN COMPANY OVER!"

"SCREW YOU!" Kiba screamed back, before pausing for a moment and adding on. "Hey Hana?"

"What?"

"I love you too."

Hana poked her head out of her bedroom, her long brown locks falling loosely around her shoulder. She shot him a smile. "I know."

Hinata, presently shivering nervously from her hiding spot in Hana's room, thankful to have avoided Kiba, could only blink at the intensely strange sibling relationship the two shared.

* * *

Hinata caught her breath as she leaned back in Hana's comfortable truck, similar to Kiba's beat up pickup. It was only by luck that she managed to convince Hana to take her home, instead of enduring the insufferably tense and somehow humid air that always seemed to mysteriously appear whenever Hinata was near Kiba.

This morning was certainly something she didn't want to think about, although it still confused her how she ended up in his room.

Perhaps he carried her there? But why?

…Oh god.

No way Kiba would do something _that_ despicable, right? He was a teenage boy, but even so…Hinata should've remembered something from it. She should've at least mildly sensed, known, what was going on.

No, she had to get those thoughts of her head. It was just Kisame, and his slimy hands roaming across her body. Not Kiba.

It was just something about him. Some sort of safety in Kiba. Perhaps not a 'good' guy, but not a 'bad' guy, either. He was just Kiba, and for all Hinata knew, he was just an intense, strong person, who had something bubbling beneath the surface, something strangely mysterious and subtly beautiful, something she had been able to peek at momentarily. As short as it was, she was grateful.

As they pulled further into the city, near Tenten's penthouse, where she had been asked to be dropped off (even in the morning, being dropped off by Tenten would look much better than by Hana) so at least she could tell someone what happened the night previous, Hinata felt herself dozing off, and with it, all her determination for discovering last night's events.

* * *

_And as Hinata awoke with a start, drenched in cold sweat, sheets plastered to her trembling legs and hands, she kicked them away, feeling incredibly cold and yet suffocated at the same time. _

_Every time, every single damned time, she closed her eyes, it was just the strange man, in the foreign alley way, cracked lighting askew across her face. It was nothing but the dancing shadows about the cul-de-sac, nothing but Hinata and her quiet fear, and the silent scream from her mouth as Kisame just drew closer, closer, and the light closed farther and farther in…_

_At that point, Hinata realized she just couldn't fall asleep, not even with Hana's soft snores as her lullaby. No amount of soft mutterings and warm milk could soothe her frightful heart._

_Without thinking, overcome by sleep, and deadened by the indigo of night, Hinata stood and expertly maneuvered her thin frame through the crack of the door. _

_Even with half-lidded eyes, she managed to avoid stepping on the multiple canines lying peacefully upon the floor, each of their heads rested comfortably on their paws. _

_Hinata pushed the door to Kiba's room open._

_

* * *

_

_It was so freaking late._

_I usually slept like a baby; in fact, the only thing that could usually get me awake in the morning was a prompt slap from Hana after a supposed ten minutes of attempting to wake me._

_I told Hinata, in the car, to not think about it. I told her I'd take care of it._

…_But…where the hell was I supposed to start?_

_My blood froze at the mere thought of Kisame. Some peculiar concoction of blended negativity stirred beneath my pounding heart. My anger, my overwhelming fury, when I saw Kisame, in all of his filthy gore, running his hands up and down Hinata, as the tears streaked down her face, muttering some sickening lover's nothing into her ear. And the hesitance, and overall fear, as I came up to stop him._

_I couldn't go too far. Not like last time._

_I could only be grateful when he fell unconscious, and nothing more, to the ground._

_Something hot, instinctive, animal, rose up in me, as I stepped over his body, covered in the muck of the street alleys, otherwise known as my second home, and grabbed Hinata's pristine hand and dragged her away._

_She didn't belong here._

_And now what?_

_Should I go back and kill him? No, far too risky. But who knows what he'd do if I didn't? Kisame was infamous round those parts, the places I always hung around. I'd be screwed over._

_And Hinata…it still baffled me how she somehow got pulled into the equation._

_And suddenly, a disturbance by my door. I sat bolt upright, glaring at the intruder, to see the pale, petite, ghostly form of Hinata, walking in like a dead man...or er...woman, considering her visible, ahem, 'body'._

_I blinked. "Hinata?"_

_She just walked over to my bed, and collapsed on top of me. I let out a small gasp of surprise, before staring down at her, concerned. I leaned back on my palms and lowered in to her head, while her glossy hair fanned out behind her across the back of her slim neck. She knelt at the foot of my bed, dropping her head upon my legs.  
_

_I noticed her shoulders shaking and a layer of sweat across the back of her neck. And I felt dampness on my knee, where her face was buried over the blanket. A sudden sob only confirmed my fears.  
_

_It was far too complicated for us, for me, to think about, and to recount, but either way, I just placed my hands around her freezing cold form and pulled her under the blanket, tucking her head into the crook of my neck._

_It just seemed right at the time. Something any guy friend should've done for a scared girl, right?_

_Right…_

_

* * *

_

The door the penthouse creaked open. Tenten, garbed in a strange mishmash of some unknown rock band t-shirt and bright yellow sweats, yawned and muttered some curse to whoever had the nerve to wake her before 12, before she saw Hinata, dressed in clothes that weren't hers, hair a positive mess, nose and cheeks tinted a slight rouge of threatening fever, poking her index fingers together.

"…Hi?" she greeted feebly.

Tenten blinked, before grabbing her friend's arm firmly and shoving her into the penthouse.

"You got some 'splaining to do." She joked, but the glint in her eyes said otherwise.

Hinata only gulped.

* * *

**A/N: Terribly short, I am aware. School has started and, hey, we all have lives. Maybe we all should focus more on schoolwork, neh?**

**...NAHHHH.**

**Either way, I hope you enjoyed this little 'filler' chapter of sorts, although we did get a little peek of a smexy Kiba, as promised. :D **

**Review please, no flames.**

**-silver  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hehe, my baaadd. I got...lazy, and combined with a crippling, 4 month long case of writer's block, I present to you this pathetically short chapter. I love you, readers, please don't shoot me. **

**Thank you for all your wonderful reviews! They convinced me to get off my lazy ass (well, actually, considering I type sitting down...) and write this for you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! ^^  
**

**Disclaimer: HELL NAW.**

**

* * *

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The sun was setting by the time Hinata calmed down from her nervous rant and decided to conveniently pass out on Tenten's new Persian rug.

Tenten carefully picked her way over spilt magazines and empty chip bags, clearing away the inanely large pile of beer bottles, tipping precariously over the edge of her table.

"Kami…" she muttered to herself, staring at the bottles. "What now…" she thought, having no place to properly dispose of them.

Outside, a car horn honked. Tenten stared blankly at the open window, then the beer bottles, then the open window again. And stalked over and promptly dropped every single bottle over the edge, flinching at the sound of outraged car alarms and broken glass below.

Hinata was startled awake by the sudden noise. Glossy locks remained plastered to her cheeks and her eyes cracked with sleep. She rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"Geez Tenten, what time is it…" The Hyuuga girl stretched and reached over to check an alarm clock.

Tenten brushed her sticky hands on her sweats and briskly replied. "Close to 4."

"WHAT!" Hinata fell over the edge of the couch. "W-why didn't you wake me?"

Tenten scratched her head, then shrugged non-chalantly. "Didn't feel like it. Sides, this place is too lonely without someone to hang around, y'know? Dad's off probably sleeping with his new secretary and Mom's…in…Peru? Cuba? No, don't care, don't remember. You remember how I told you she had that art show? Yeah well she told me she was gonna bring back some Gogh piece on sale, not that I give a shit about art anyway. Who wants to look at some paint-eating depressed dude draw pictures no one gets? Anyways-wait, Hinata?"

The door slammed as Hinata quickly excused herself without a goodbye.

Tenten stood there, a slight frown on her face. "Dammit." She shut her eyes in a brief pout. "She always does that."

Suddenly, the phone rang. She whirled around. "Stop calling, Neji!"

The ringing stopped, and a small smile spread itself across Tenten's dimpled cheeks at how in tandem their psyches seemed to be.

* * *

Hinata arranged her attire and hair to look semi-presentable in the bathroom in the foyer of Tenten's building. Stepping out and using sunglasses to cover her dark-rimmed eyes, she waited for an empty taxi to appear as she recounted yesterday.

"Kami, what'll Kiba say at school…" She thought nervously, chewing at a nail. She idly contemplated at how awkward it would be at school, coupled with the fact that even a full day of drinking and eating at Tenten's couldn't help.

When suddenly, a black Lamboghini sped up the road, and a large pair of hands grabbed Hinata and pulled her in before she could think twice.

* * *

By the time Hinata had realized she wasn't being kidnapped, Neji had already fully explained that Hiashi had just about torn the city apart in his search for her and that she was really in for it when she got home.

"I'm telling you, Neji, I was at Tenten's! Sakura and Ino just ditched me while shopping, I got bored and went to her place, and from that point I just lost track of time. Not a big deal, see?"

Neji suddenly ground to a screeching halt, as the car stopped just in time at a stoplight. Neji whipped around, hooking his elbow over the edge of the pristine leather seat, and stared at Hinata intently.

"It is a big deal, Hinata. Your father alerted every student who goes to our school, and their parents, about what happened. He asked them to start a search for you. He called Tenten as well."

Hinata lost track of the air in her throat. As she tried to formulate a response, all she could do was squeak.

"I know you're lying to me. You weren't at Tenten's place. But wherever you were, Hiashi will find out. Tenten has probably already told him where you were by now."

If Hiashi asked everyone where she was, that included Kiba. That meant Tsume must've spilt where Hinata had spent the night. She had no reason not to. Two confirmations that she had spent the night at a boy's place.

"You and I both know, it's only a matter of time before it becomes common knowledge where you were staying." Neji stated seriously, before turning around and beginning to drive again.

"Hiashi called everyone, and by that, I mean _everyone. _All the parents. And many of the students are the sons and daughters of these officials. Some of them already know where you ended up staying. Which means the students know as well."

Hinata only ducked her head as she waited for the impending storm to follow. She had only a few more hours before school.

A few more hours before they would all know.

* * *

Hinata couldn't exactly say she was surprised when the doors to her school opened and she had suddenly become more popular than before.

People stared at her. Everywhere. Every single nook and cranny of the school was filled with the juicy gossip.

As she hid her head beneath the hood of her jacket and scurried quickly to her locker, she heard two upperclassmen talking about her.

"You know that rich freshman girl? I heard she sold her virginity to the Uzumaki kid."

The Hyuuga girl bit her lip to prevent herself from screaming at them, and simply fiddled with the combination to her locker.

The other sophomore girl simply laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She clutched her binder closer to her chest as she leaned in, whispering just loud enough for Hinata to eavesdrop in on.

"I heard she sold her virginity to two guys."

The other girl backed up and stared at her in bewilderment. "That's not even possible, stupid."

The other girl laughed and waved her closer again. "I know. She sold her real virginity to Uzumaki, and just pretended to sell it again to the fat kid."

The other girl's eyes widened. "Fat kid…you can't mean Akimichi? My dad's friends with his dad."

Her friend smirked and nodded. "Totally true. Aiko was talking about it earlier. Besides, it's not like he can tell when a girl is a virgin or not. He's probably never been laid before."

"Or will be again."

They both burst into small giggles and walked away, moving onto other topics, while Hinata dejectedly slammed the door of her locker, feeling hot streams of salt steadily trickle down her cheeks.

* * *

Kiba stepped cautiously into the school, wondering if word had truly spread around about what happened. He hadn't told anyone, and it seemed Tsume had only gently informed Hiashi that Hinata needed a place to stay, and she welcomed her in.

He didn't have much time to ponder this, however, as his friends dragged him into an empty, dim classroom to interrogate him personally.

Kankuro threw him against the wall, hard, as Lee shut the door as quietly as possible. Kiba rubbed his head and was ready to curse at them, before they cut him off.

"Is it true?" they all asked solemnly, careful expressions on their faces.

"Is _what _true?" Kiba responded, indignant, holding his hands up to indicate his confusion.

"You slept with her, didn't you?" Naruto angrily accused. "Dammit Kiba, I know it's just Hinata, but I kinda wanted her first." He pouted slightly. "I thought she was sorta hot." He added as a quiet afterthought."

"What the hell, Naruto, I didn't sleep with her!" Kiba defended, before raising his voice. "And since when did you want Hin-"

"Then how come everyone knows she was at your house?" Lee shot back.

Kiba blinked. "What? She wasn't at my house." He lied expertly.

"Cut the shit, Kiba, we know." Kankuro leaned against a desk, folding his arms. "Her dad's really pissed off. He's almost ready to arrest you for rape."

Kiba did a double take and choked. "I-I-what? I didn't-the hell, I didn't _rape _her, you guys know me! I would never do that!"

They all shrugged, uncertain.

Chouji spoke up first. "…We know it's not in your character, but you are kind of a bad boy at the school."

He ran a hand through his messy hair. "How am I supposed to prove I didn't, then?" His voice was desperate.

The four other teenagers looked at each other, before turning and saying in sync,

"You don't."

"He doesn't care Kiba, he's not gonna take your word for it." Naruto reasoned.

Kiba's eyes were wide, before he turned around and slammed his forehead into the wall repeatedly.

"I'm screwed, aren't I." he mumbled, dead.

None of them said anything.

* * *

Hinata had hoped by the time class started, the teachers would prevent anything from happening. That people would stop whispering about her so she could gather her thoughts.

Utterly wrong.

People still shot her dirty glances, and during chemistry, at least three pieces of crumpled sheet paper were thrown her way, all with the word 'WHORE' written on them in huge letters.

Shino, her lab partner, barely fazed, would merely take each piece of paper from her hands and tear it up, tossing the shreds into a wastebin. She silently thanked him each time he did.

Since lab partners were assigned, Tenten wasn't able to do anything other than shoot her friend sympathetic glances from across the room.

Ino and Sakura, who had been 'coincidentally' assigned as each other's lab partners, worked at the bench in front of her. Thankfully, Shino didn't grill her about anything, instead quietly and obediently fulfilling his half of the experiment.

Everyone once in a while, Ino would hurriedly lean over and whisper something to Sakura. Both girls would turn around and shoot Hinata either worried or extremely fake smiles and turn back to their gossiping.

The minute the lunch bell rang, Hinata was considering going home, before Sakura and Ino each linked arms on either side of Hinata and dragged her off to the back of the schoolyard.

"Where are you guys taking me?" Hinata asked, a slight edge of fear in her voice.

Ino peered over her shoulder, checking for signs on anyone listening in, and swiftly ducked her head in to whisper.

"I _cannot _believe it, Hinata! You are the last person I'd think who'd sleep with that Inuzuka kid!"

"Actually, the last person who'd ever lose their virginity, come to think of it." Sakura added, before realizing what she said. "No offense or anything."

Hinata ignored the sting of Sakura's unconscious insult, and addressed Ino in a hushed chatter. "I didn't sleep with him! Why is everyone saying I did?" Hinata roughly tugged her arm of her friends' grasps. "And moreover, why are you guys believing it?"

"Well…" Sakura searched for words and leaned against the outer wall of the school pavilion. "We heard that somehow you ended up at his house."

"Apparently he found you wandering around." Ino added in, checking Hinata's face for any signs of admittance.

"After _you _guys ditched me!" Hinata defended vehemently, voice edging on desperation. "Besides, it takes two for that kind of thing to happen!"

"Word is, he half-convinced, half raped you." Sakura shrugged, folding her arms and picking at a loose thread on her cardigan. "I wasn't sure whether to believe it or not. I can completely believe him raping a girl. I mean, he's a complete ass, from what I know-"

_Which isn't very much. _Hinata drily thought.

"And I'm sure if he could convince a rich girl like you to, well…maybe he was in it for the money. Hoping he could get with you or something. Maybe reputation-wise, it would've helped, I don't know."

Hinata abruptly flushed. "S-Sakura! I didn't _pay _him! And no way Kiba would do something like that! He might be shady sometimes, but I know he's honourable!"

"Apparently, that's not enough for your dad." Ino interjected. Her cerulean eyes had the slightest twinge of sympathy. "I don't know if your dad told you this, but he's planning on pressing charges."

The blood drained from Hinata's face. "Press charges?" she whispered, barely audible.

Not plausible. Even with the fact Kiba hadn't raped her, it wouldn't be enough. There was no way Kiba and his close family could stand up to the empiric powerhouse that was her father. He had money, he had lawyers, he had the ability to bribe. And Kiba only had what he knew.

Hinata's whole body went limp. If Kiba were arrested, his whole future would be lost. He'd miss out on school, and might never come back. Hana was already on the brink of losing herself, and Hinata simply could not imagine a life for Tsume with both of her children gone. How could she do that to the woman who had so kindly, without question, without hesitation, protected a girl she didn't know?

She fell to the floor. Her friends' eyes went wide as they leaned down to help her up.

"What do I do?" Hinata whispered.

The pink-haired girl and the blonde exchanged a glance. Both turned back to her at the same time, and shot her small smiles.

"You need to date him." Ino said simply.

Hinata choked on her own saliva. "P-pardon!"

"Date him." Sakura repeated slowly. When Hinata opened her mouth to ask why, Sakura silenced her again.

"If you date him, and you both can clearly say you didn't sleep with each other, then it seems normal. You were just visiting your boyfriend's house over the weekend, and then went to Tenten's."

Hinata, still not fully understanding, cocked her head to the side. "Why can't I just say I visited Kiba's house, period? Why the need to date?"

Ino sighed, exasperated. "What other reason would you have to go to his house?"

Hinata thought this over. She'd have to talk to Kiba, obviously. They'd have to play the part for a while, but in a week or so, she could break it off, and everyone would completely forget about this. If they dated, and both firmly agreed nothing had happened, then the rumours were likely to disperse.

And as a bonus, it wouldn't be _that _bad to date Kiba. He was a nice, well-meaning guy, although a little hard to understand sometimes. Plus, he wasn't hard on the eyes.

Hinata allowed a small grin to creep onto her features. "Sure. Why not?"

By the time Hinata had already decided it was a good idea, Sakura and Ino were smiling smugly at each other.

* * *

**A/N: I'll probably edit this later...it's too short. Well, I'm too busy. Off to see HP7 right now! **

**Reviews please, no flames, plx.**

**-silver  
**


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